Canadian Hunting and Shooting Association -- TEAM CHSA

Parlez-vous le francais ?

• Main
• Planning
• Projects New!
• Off Target
• Discussion
• 12-6 handgun lawsuit
• CSSA
• Bruce Montague
• No Frigging Action
• diArmani.com
• Canadian Gun Nutz
• dumblaw.ca
• Garry Breitkreuz
• Live Chat New!
• Contact CHSA

Parlez-vous le francais ? Etes-vous dans le fonctionnement avec CHSA pour traduire nos documents dans francais ? Contact Merci

CHSA site, last updated, January 26, 2006. NFA site, last updated December 22, 2005, CSSA site, last updated, January 10, 2006

TEAM CHSA have updated the Discussion Forum Visit the forum, read and comment on how a 21st century Canadian hunting and shooting organisation can function. TEAM CHSA posts important news articles and commentary on the TEAM CHSA forum. News and Information Is your club dying? Read Revitalising your gun club or fish and game association. The election is over -- Now what? The election is over, CHSA is now starting the real work of building an honestly open working association to represent the interests of Canadian hunters and shooters. We pledge to you we will offer regular updates, and regular plans where action is needed. Right now, many of you are probably a little tired from working during the election. Big deal! The work is not done yet! We have lots of work to do. First up, is the Firearms Act. We are already seeing the Conservatives back away from the their promises to scrap the registry. They are saying they don't have a majority and therefore they can't change it. Simply put, that is just not good enough. If not having a majority won't let them implement their promises, it has to be all their promises, not just on the gun registry. The Auditor General is preparing to release her report on the Firearms Registry. Right now, we are asking you to write to Stephen Harper and Garry Breitkreuz Parliament of Canada Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A0 Remind them that their most controversial changes must be implemented early in their mandate. The changes to the firearm registry, if the Conservatives are right, will not cause increased crime, and will free up resources for arming the border patrol and putting more police on the streets. Honoring their promise to hunters and shooters now will allow several years to pass proving to all Canadians in the next election that this was a good program. It will likely pass, there will not be many Liberals who will want to head to the polls right away. Simply remind Garry Brietkreuz of his promise to gun owners. Thomas Micholsen TEAM CHSA The Toronto Sun DATE: 2006.01.20 EDITION: Final SECTION: News PAGE: 11 BYLINE: TOM GODFREY, TORONTO SUN SENIOR LIBERAL DEFENDS ALLY'S ACTIONS A senior Liberal says the party's deputy national director, Kim Doran, didn't do anything wrong in acting as a consultant for the Coalition for Gun Control. Liberal spokesman Ken Polk said Doran didn't get paid for lobbying for a $380,000 contract for the coalition in March 2003. Polk said the contract was awarded when Doran worked for Capital Hill, which she left in October last year to work for the Liberals. "The contract has nothing to do with Ms. Doran," Polk said by e-mail. "Nor was she hired by the coalition to do any work related to the contract." He said Doran was required under the Lobbyist Registration Act to identify if her client received government funding. Doran refused repeated requests for an interview. ANTI-GUN GROUPS The coalition, which receives both government and private funding, claims to represent anti-gun groups and municipalities and is a supporter of the federal gun registry. *Tony Bernardo, of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association, said Ottawa is spending taxpayers' money to lobby itself. Bernardo said the coalition has received about $500,000 in government funding over the years. He has called on the RCMP to probe the matter, but the force said yesterday it would not comment.* *Bernardo said the Conservatives have promised to scrap the registry if they form a government after Monday's federal election. "This could be the last days for the people in the coalition and gun registry," he said yesterday. "Some could be out of work if there's a new government." Great Work Tony! January 17 BCWF Political Action Alliance has put together a series of radio advertisements scheduled to run in the last week of the election campaign. To support their efforts, contact jbholdstock@shawcable.com CHSA salutes the BCWF Political Action Alliance for standing up for handgun owners and all hunters and shooters. Ads online? We have tried to find a web site for the BCWF PAC radio ads. If you find one, can you e-mail us? Some existing national associations, like the 'No Frigging Action' association have sat on their collective butts during the election. Other British Columbia groups, The Responsible Firearm Owners Coalition of British Columbia (RFOCBC) and BCWF Political Action Alliance have stepped in and demonstrated Leadership. Aren't you glad they have? To support their efforts, visit www.rfocbc.com and/or email jbholdstock@shawcable.com and make a donation. You should support both. Leadership deserves to be supported. January 10 News Release, the number of legal guns stolen is no more than 16%, not 48%. Its time to make criminals pay a heavy price for stealing guns," says Conservative MP Garry Breitkreuz. January 9 Thoughts on Election 2006 Read the latest ideas on the election. January 7 Globe and Mail salutes the Conservatives plan on crime. January 4 Hill and Knowlton election prediction tool. Latest SES Research poll shows Conservatives in lead, Conservatives 36% Liberals 33%. This is a warning sign for all hunters and shooters to pick up the pace. Look up your riding in the prediction tool. See if your riding needs more help. January 3 Read the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association newsletter. This issue covers the Liberal government's proposed Animal Cruelty legislation. Fishing and hunting under attack too. Asking hard questions. When we ask hard questions of ourselves, and associations representing hunters and shooters, it is our responsibility. We see the effects of a top-down government not listening. We need more democratic associations representing hunters and shooters. As we strive to build better associations, we must allow the ability to question decisions. We must broaden the leadership base. December 30 New Conservative Ad The Conservatives have just released this new ad. It is a brilliant ad. It will make any Liberal attack ad become boring and predictable. The Conservatives continue to run an excellent campaign. December 30 Election a dead heat This just in this morning. The Liberals and Conservatives are in a virtual tie. Get out and support the party you believe will best represent you! December 29 Globe and Mail poll on solving the gun violence. It does not mention a handgun ban. Spread this one around! December 29 CSSA/CILA cancel planned $100,000 advertising campaign. CSSA/CILA, "In light of the recent barbaric acts in downtown Toronto, resulting in the death of 15 year old Jane Creba and the injury of six others, we are very concerned that our informational advertising is being intentionally misconstrued for political purposes." December 29 Conservative Crime Platform about to be released. "We're going to go after the Hells Angels, not Ducks Unlimited," said Conservative Deputy Leader Peter MacKay. "This idea that you can somehow create an atmosphere around people who are already respectful of the law and superimpose this blanket (handgun) ban as a solution -- a one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approach -- is an absolute abysmal failure. It's publicly misleading and it doesn't drill down into the real problem." December 27 Toronto Star and Paul Martin what do they have in common? Find out the Toronto Star's dirty little secret. December 26 Riding by riding poll breakdown. Spread this one around. It shows the riding by riding breakdown for all ridings. It may not be accurate as polling is variable in this election, but it shows some trends. It does suggest where people need to spend extra time working in this election. December 26 Seven shot, one killed in Toronto. Two suspects are in police custody. Will the media ask or report if the suspects have firearm licences? Will the media ask, or report if their their firearms were registered? Will the media ask if the Canada Firearms Centre issued ATTs to the shooters? Or will the media and politicians simply demand stricter gun laws? The suspects apparently ignored all of the laws about licencing, registration, and transport, let alone attempted murder and murder. Why would anyone suspect they would fear a gun ban law? December 26 BC Conservative candidate in hospital. Derek Zeisman was injured in a serious car accident. Mr. Zeisman, a former foreign-service officer, was hit by another vehicle near the town of Fairview as he headed to Castlegar from Trail to meet his campaign manager. December 26 Species at Risk public meetings. Learn about 'SARA' it is vital to the future of hunting and fishing. December 24, Sheila Copps says The Liberals are broke! Read what Elections Canada says.

Toronto - The good, good-bye! Toronto's Mayor David Miller is Prime Minister Paul Martin's best friend, especially when it comes to banning guns. Mayor Miller has continually used misleading statistics, quoting an unsubstantiated figure of 50% of the guns used in crime were stolen from collectors. Despite e-mails, letters and phone calls from hundreds of people, the Mayor won't stand down from his statements. Toronto's Mayor Miller wants Toronto to be a gun free zone. Maybe hunters and shooters should make Toronto a gun-owner free zone. All of us, as hunters and shooters should simply boycott Toronto. We received an e-mail the other day where a competitive shooter had written Mayor Miller to explain how the martial arts club he belongs too was fundamental in pulling a tournament from Toronto. The economic cost to Toronto is huge. Think of how much a family of four travelling to Toronto for a weekend would spend on hotels, restaurant meals, and shopping. Multiply that by hundreds, or thousands of families. One of the ways to affect public policy is economic. Hunters and shooters deciding not to spend their tourism dollars in Toronto is a means of sending a message to Mayor Miller. Of course, you must make sure you tell Mayor Miller why you have scratched Toronto off of your family vacation plans. To reach Mayor Miller: E-mail: mayor_miller@toronto.ca Mail: Toronto City Hall, 2nd Floor, 100 Queen St. West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2 Phone: 416-397-CITY (2489) Fax: 416-696-3687 Send a message. Attacks against law-abiding hunters and shooters is unacceptable!

PRESS RELEASE January 5, 2006, Vancouver: Answer: Because criminals don't obey laws. Question: 'Why won't the Liberals proposed handgun ban reduce gun violence? A nationwide radio campaign arguing against the proposed Liberal handgun ban is being launched today by the Responsible Firearm Owners Coalition of British Columbia. The Langley, BC based group represents legitimate firearm owners from BC and across Canada. Mr. Martin has to be the only person in Canada who believes that confiscating guns from grey haired sports shooters in BC will solve the problem of gangs with guns in downtown Toronto said RFOCBC spokesman Kevin Staines. RFOCBC have produced three 30 second spots that will air in 40 markets from coast to coast for one week. The group believes that banning legitimate gun ownership will do nothing to address street crime. Criminals, by their nature, do not obey lawss said Staines. Another law is not going to stop them from acquiring or using guns. Rather than a ban on handguns, RFOCBC contends that Canadians would be better served by harsher sentencing of those convicted of violent criminal offences, and stronger measures to control the possession of firearms by those criminals. Law abiding hunters, collectors, and sport shooters, are again being used as a matador's cape - a red herring - to deflect attention away from the Liberals policy failures, concluded Staines. Responsible Firearms Owners Coalition of BC Phone: 604-532-8048 The mp3 radio ads can be downloaded from their website at: www.rfocbc.ca

Teamwork wins We are all in this together! Working as a team is our best hope to win! It has been said many times before, 'there is no I in team'. Sharing ideas, concepts and letting the best and the brightest move forward with positive ideas is how a team wins. This is the entire concept behind the CHSA project. It is not about grabbing glory. Not about who gets credit. It is all about building and securing the hunting and shooting rights in Canada. This week we will be sharing more ideas on how to get more people involved. The Boxing Day shooting death in Toronto demonstrates clearly what is wrong with the government's approach of gun control contrasted to crime control. The main stream media will not likely report the shooters did not have gun licences. They will not report their guns were not registered. Certainly they will not report the suspects did not have permits to allow them to carry their pistols in downtown Toronto. Media reports are saying one of the people wounded in yesterday's tragic events was an off-duty police officer. Will the media ask if the officer was armed with their service pistol? Probably not. It is up to each of us to ask those questions. We can ask our questions in letters to the editor, on radio call-in shows, letters to politicians. Most importantly, we can talk about those questions with our co-workers, and friends. Read Letter Writing Tree on our discussion forum for tips and ideas. It is not about any one group having a monopoly on good ideas. It is about broadening the base, opening the doors and letting in millions of Canadians on the safest of sports, hunting and shooting. Welcome to a new project and a new way of thinking!

Thank-you! Everyday the number of visitors to our Internet page increases! Share the 21st century vision with your friends.

What is the Canadian Hunting and Shooting Association? A Fresh start for Canadian hunters and shooters. First, our vision will see hunting and shooting rights in Canada restored and respected in Canada. As hunters and shooters, we are offended by the constant stream of new laws and regulations which blame gun owners for the actions of criminals. While some existing associations in Canada claim to be leading the campaign. Just like you, all we see are countless promises without any results. That is unacceptable! Some associations keep telling all of us how wonderful they are doing. Its like letting your child fill in their own reportcard! This is why millions of hunters and shooters look on the current associations as not offering them any reason to listen. TEAM CHSA is the working title for our efforts to gather together hunters and shooters and gun owners in a coordinated team. We envision an wide and diverse group of Canadians working together on projects. Each project will select their project manager. Each project will require a business plan, and a budget. Each project will require progress reports and a final accounting. We envision using the Internet to link people together across Canada to share their ideas and skills. As a TEAM working on specific projects, there can be a wide and diverse number of projects running at all times. Major national projects will be supported on a project by project basis. We have been asked why not work with existing groups? We have never suggested Canadian hunters and shooters should not support the current associations. We would welcome those associations sharing their ideas and projects with a wider audience. If their plans are solid, and their ideas are sound, those associatins should find far greater support with a growing diverse and vibrant group. Members of our team first contacted NFA and CSSA in September. We asked about their plans for the coming election, their plans for promoting the shooting sports, and their plans for political action. NFA outlined their plans, they want to arm women. When we spoke to David Tomlinson, the president, his attitude can be summed up as 'I have been fighting this fight for thirty years, I know what I am doing'. Any suggestions we offered were spiked down, and ignored. CSSA never replied to any of our e-mails or telephone calls. The first time we heard from them was when we launched this web site. Maybe they were worried a new association would erode their personal powerbase. From those contacts, we realised two things. One, as long as we are lead by people who won't listen, we will continue to lose this fight. Two, we need to broaden the leadership base of the Canadian hunting and shooting community. Right now, we have all our eggs in some very tiny baskets. That is not how a dynamic and vibrant association will thrive and prosper. Many people have suggested all the associations should merge. Some claim in the United States, the NRA speaks with one voice. There are many voices in the United States, and many times they do not all agree. We invite you to read our Planning Document. See for yourself if you believe these ideas can offer a better way to protect your hunting and shooting in Canada. TEAM CHSA welcomes your input, ideas and comments. Our goal is to build a solid infrastructure to allow more input, more action and more people to get involved in the campaign. We have all seen how following the status quo has lead us toward the loss of our gun rights. It is time for us all to seriously look at how by working together, we will reverse those losses and start back on the path to winning.

Building for success and a brighter future for hunting and shooting in Canada!

From Lord of the Rings FRODO: "I wish the ring had never come to me! I wish none of this had happened!" GANDALF: "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us." While all of us would rather just go about our lives, it is time for hunters, shooters and gun owners to embrace the future. Time to start the real work of building an effection national association representing all parts of the firearm interests. In Canada, our history shows we are not an activist nation. But when there is a threat to our established way of life, Canadians answer the challenge. It is time! We need to bring millions, yes millions of hunters, shooters and gun owners together in an exciting grassroots association. We must accept, despite their best efforts, current associations failed to unify hunters, shooters and collectors. Those are hard words, but they are honest words. Understanding and accepting the problems we face is a start to reversing our long winter of losses. The time for blowing smoke up all our butts is over! The time to move forward is now! We have all our eggs in a small basket We need more eggs and a bigger basket Frankly, most hunters, shooters and gun owners have already concluded they will not support the current associations. Even using the Canada Firearms Centre's claim of 2.1 million gun owners, only 20,000 individuals members of the NFA and CSSA. When you consider NFA and CSSA claim there are 5 million gun owners in Canada, those figures prove the statement we need a Fresh Start. Many in the current associations will fight tooth and nail against any new group. Or any new ideas. We expect to be attacked! Some who are comfortable with the status quo claim any new association will cause further division in our gun community. We are already divided. That division has been brought about mostly by the current associations. Together we must open up the closed shops of the old-line mindsets and let more women, young people and millions of hunters and shooters not represented by any association to discover they can make a difference. We accept there are people who will claim any new ideas are somehow threatening and dangerous. Remember, there were people who still believe the earth is flat too! Canada's 'gun lobby' requires a complete makeover! Current associations are fragmented into small groups. Groups which will not work effectively together. To many hunters, they see handgun owners as a problem. To trap and skeet shooters, who see themselves as above the current dispute, it is handguns and semi-automatic rifles. Read 'off-target'. Learn how the Liberals have used our divisions to their advantage. Ask yourself why are there no women's groups, youth groups, municipal governments, police associations supporting the old-line associations? If their methods are right, where is the support? Collectively, in the media, we are portrayed as middle-aged and older men. The old-line associations emphasis that image by not having women or young people ever represent us in the media. Why not? There are some who say asking questions is wrong as it hurts the old-line groups. It is not wrong to offer input and to seek accountability from the old-line groups! Our opponents present gun control as a women's issue. Repeatedly, we are outgunned in this campaign. We see associations respond calling Canadians gullible, as NFA claims. Or by stating Canadians are stupid if they support Paul Martin, as CSSA claims. Hardly effective means of gathering support! Be honest, if someone claimed you were gullible and stupid, would you be willing to listen to them explain why? Not if you are like most Canadians. Those are hard words. But they are honest questions. They deserve answers. The old-line associations will not answer concerns. Why not? We do not accept those attitudes from Liberals, why should we accept them from NFA or CSSA? Canadian hunters, shooters and gun owners don't have to dump old-line associations. There are areas where they have expertise. But we must both recognise and understand they only represent, at best, about 20,000 of their members. Yet their actions impact millions of hunters and shooters. There is a time to move forward. We stand today on the brink of another infringement, by the Liberals, on handgun athletes, IPSC, cowboy action shooting competitors, and gun collectors. It is time to gather all hunters and shooters together. Do not believe the Liberal claims they will allow exemptions for target shooters. Those exemptions will likely be so restrictive it will be impossible for most handgun owners to qualify. For our collective long-term survival, we must bring new leaders, and new ideas forward. We need to build an association with a broad-based leadership and a willingness to listen. This decision is one NFA and CSSA may not understand, or accept. The TEAM CHSA plan we suggest does not mean those groups should not be supported. Our plan opens the doors to bring in more hunters, shooters and collectors into the campaign. We are in a dangerous position with a very small group of people demanding control. Ask yourself what will happen in the future if one of the key players were injured, or disabled? Leadership demands we prepare for the future. The status quo assumes nothing will ever change. One certainty is change is inevitable. Our project is designed to create a grassroots opportunity for more people in more parts of Canada to get involved. When only 20,000 out of 2 million people are participants, we remain far too weak for effective action. Starting the journey! This is a broad-based plan offered for consideration. 1. Structural /Infrastructure Creation Liaison Group. This group will require experts in several areas. First to ensure that the group is properly and legally registered. This will require a set of by-laws, a process for the selection of officers, directors and an executive for the new assembly. The formation of a new group will require liaison with existing wildlife, environmental, and shooting clubs. This will require a group with individuals of proven team building abilities. It can be expected this group will be subjected to attacks and ridicule by current groups. Those who are in current positions in current groups will very likely see the formation of the Fresh Start group as threatening their power bases within their groups. It is a shame those people can't see this is a campaign for all hunters, shooters and collectors not just their associations. The Liaison Group must be tasked of professionals who are not linked with any of the current groups. This group will be tasked to generate a completely bilingual association. As the project grows we need to recognise Canadian hunters, shooters and collectors do not just speak English. This group should create a website, with a forum where progress reports can be made to both shooters and to the public at large. Such a forum could be created where there are sections specifically for private discussions by members of specific committees. 2. National Efforts; a) Government Liaison Committee; Formation of a Committee who include the Canada Firearms Centre along with expert representatives of shooting sports associations. We need hunters, IPSC shooters, cowboy action shooters, skeet shooters, target shooters, plinkers, varmint hunters, instructors and collectors. We have all seen how ineffective the current efforts have been. This committee will serve as a shadow committee to Commissioner Baker of the Canada Firearms Centre's user group. While the user group has rarely met in recent years, the formation of a committee that will invite the Commissioner of Firearms to participate will allow increased communications. The goal can be for this committee to replace any government appointed committee. b) Formation of a Law Enforcement Liaison Committee which should include members of the sport shooting and hunting community who are also law enforcement officers or officials. The new group must work with Canada's law enforcement community to build support and stronger relations between gun owners and law enforcement associations. c) Formation of a Political Action Committee. This group will formulate the plans for political action and lobbying. This group will work with professional registered lobbyists to seek meetings with Ministers and other officials in the government. d) Formation of a Legal Committee. This committee should be the eyes and ears of the assembly for legal cases and legal situations that merit legal action. Never again should the Supreme Court of Canada hear a case which harms the shooting community without having intervener status. e) Communications Group; This should include formation of a Media Liaison Working Group. This group, will direct and coordinate all media statements, interviews and related efforts. This committee should seek professional advise from media consultants in planning media campaigns. Media campaigns have remained a weak point for gun owners in Canada. Groups tend to react rather than plan efforts. This group will also be responsible for publications, website development and updates. f) National Hunting and Fishing Committee. This group should consist of representative from each province and territory. They can coordinate national efforts and campaigns. g) Shooting / Training / Safety Committee. This committee should work with provincial representatives as well as provincial and federal groups on gun safety issues, training course certification and other safety related issues. h) Research Committee. This committee will be responsible for in-depth research of gun / wildlife / environmental / legal and political efforts. This group should work closely with other committees to provide them with research in needed areas. 3. Provincial Efforts; a) There should be specific provincial groups within the grassroots assembly. These groups will focus on strictly provincial efforts. They should work within the group overall on political, media and other campaigns. b) Hunting and Fishing Committee. This provincial committee will work to ensure that provincial or territorial concerns are taken forward to the National Hunting and Fishing Committee. 4. International Efforts There are several efforts where there should be a focus. First at the United Nations and second at CITES. The group should seek NGO status at the United Nations. Additionally, the group should seek NGO status in other areas as determined. Gun owners in Canada and elsewhere are directly impacted by United Nations efforts. Yet few gun owners understand Canada's full role at the United Nations. This committee must be professional. The committee must be willing to share information gained at the international level. This is a major flaw shared by all of the old-line groups. 5. Finance Committee. Mentioned last, but certainly a vital group. First and foremost this group will be responsible for the creation of a business plan for the new group. They will be responsible for setting the plans for fundraising, and the establishment of a budget for the assembly. This group will work with all the committees to plan efforts and campaigns. They will work with the Structural /Infrastructure Creation Liaison Group toward putting together the planning for the new group. In terms of memberships and donations to fund the group, they will have to work with the Structural /Infrastructure Creation Liaison Group to determine how the group will be staffed, if there will be a structural office for the group, and when if that office is established, where it should be, and who would work in the office.

The election is different Perhaps you have noticed this election is different. Some of the key stories reported in the mainstream media started on the blogs and web pages of citizen journalists. Goodalegate, and the Liberal riding association president's comment about gun owners started online reported by bloggers. It is key for all gun owners to remember how key it is for all hunters and shooters to remember how important their words are. Liberals who used insensitive language have seen how the media is seeing the new online blogs and forums as a source for news. This election marks the start of a shift, which started with Howard Dean's campaign for president in the United States. In fact it could be argued this election got its start with a blog. An American website started to report the testimony from the Gomery Commission. The testimony from the Gomery Commission was under a gag order that was broken by Captain's Quarters, an Internet blog. The importance of the Internet blog and Internet webpages should not be overlooked in this campaign. Updating a web site is a simple task. For a professional association, during an election, it should be a daily event. During an election, especially a longer winter campaign, regular web site updates are key. Both CSSA and NFA treat their web sites as afterthoughts. Old thinking. CHSA offered professional web page help to the CSSA/CILA Twelvesix lawsuit. We created a professional looking web page and offered it to them, no strings attached. Despite Tony Bernardo commenting it looked good, our offer was turned down on advise of counsel. Can you imagine, a lawyer dictates how their web site can look? You hire a lawyer for legal advise, not as a graphic designer. CSSA is preparing a voter guide in what they describe as a huge 28 page tabloid newspaper for their members. Sounds great doesn't it? Does the term 'preaching to the choir' not come to mind? Does CSSA figure their members might vote Liberal in this election? What are they telling all hunters and shooters about the political work they have done? So? What should they do? If they were a 21st century organisation, they would produce a voter guide. They would web publish that guide. They would issue a press release through Canada Newswire and reach all Canadians. The total cost would be under $500.00. Put away the quill pen and ink bottle! Embrace the newest technology! On December 14, CHSA spread the word through our growing e-mail network suggesting Canadian hunters and shooters purchase a handgun. A few days later, the media started reporting handgun sales have skyrocketed. Now CHSA is not arrogant enough to claim responsibility for that success, but we remain the only group in Canada suggesting this effort. Old-line political parties and groups often miss key shifts in the use of technology. Stuck in a mindset, which suggests the old ways always worked before, they miss new ideas and opportunities. The Liberals planned their election campaign on a strategy of attacking Stephen Harper as 'scary' and 'angry'. They counted on Harper falling into their trap. The Liberals counted on simply using the same playbook for this election as they used against Preston Manning, Stockwell Day, and Stephen Harper in the last election. It is failing miserably. He did not react and did not rant, the Liberals have been scrambling ever since. The Liberals are using the same old strategy they used before. Incredibly, so are the old-line gun lobby groups. Using the same old ideas repeatedly, but expecting different results is a recipe for failure. Times change, old ideas are replaced by fresh new ideas and methods. Welcome to a Canadian gun lobby for the 21st century. An NFA provincial official asked us why we would question NFA and CSSA. We are not attacking the old-line gun groups. We offered fresh ideas, and assistance. Some of you have sent us the e-mails you have received from leaders in the old-line groups attacking us, calling CHSA names and ridiculing the idea there could be any way forward but their way. Doesn't that sound like Paul Martin saying Liberal values are Canadian values? There are more than two ways to skin a cat. If a group can't stand constructive input, from hunters and shooters, how can it stand up for hunters and shooters?

As we enjoy the holiday break December 21, Are you a Canadian hunter, or sport shooter? So are we. We are not professional lobbyists. We are not legal experts. We are not a bunch of malcontent gun nuts looking for fame or credit in the struggle to protect our hunting and sport shooting. In dealing with government, you can hire a professional lobbyist. You hire real lawyers when you need them. You work with professionals. We are all suffering from the effects of self-proclaimed lobby and legal experts. We started as a small group, some of us members of the NFA, CSSA, and LUFA. Some are not members of any of the established groups in Canada. Like some of you, we have supported the old-line groups. Like you, we have listened to their arguments and ideas. Just like you, we have been frustrated to see failure follow failure. Maybe like some of us, you contacted the NFA or the CSSA to ask what is happening, and what you can do to help. Time after time, we have all been told, "Support us! Send donations! We will defeat this law!" Yet, time after time, we have only seen loss after loss. Just like you, we have seen good people with good ideas, leave the fight in frustration. Good ideas have been destroyed by a lack of vision within the current gun groups. We have all had promises made, and broken by current groups on a far too regular basis. It is time for a new vision and new ideas. A vision and ideas we can all support. We can hire lawyers. We can hire lobbyists with a proven track-record of opening doors in Ottawa. We will hire professional advertising experts. We will not tell you we are lobbying the government, if we are not registered as lobbyists. Look and see if your favorite gun group is registered, or not registered. Look here too There are some groups who have registered. If you searched the lobbyist database, and failed to see your gun lobbyist. Ask yourself, what message are they sending to the government? When they tell you they are lobbying for you, instead of just accepting their word, ask them to prove it. Who did they meet? When did they meet? What positive result can they report? If they tell you they can't share that information, ask yourself, why not? Having coffee with a backbench Liberal or opposition MP is not effective lobbying. What are needed is will, energy and professionalism. Take a look at the web sites of NFA and CSSA. We are in the middle of the most important federal election campaign in Canada's history for all hunters and shooters. These tired old groups can't take the time to update their web sites during this campaign. It is almost as if there isn't an election campaign happening! The only site updated on a daily basis is the site of Garry Breitkreuz the Conservative party member of parliament who has worked tirelessly on the gun issue since 1996. Constructive critisism is not an attack. CHSA hopes we can lobby CSSA and NFA to update their sites more frequently with postive leadership ideas. If they do, it allows more gun owners to get involved in this election campaign. TEAM CHSA sees our first step in gathering together growing numbers of gun owners. Our vision starts using the Internet. 40% of Canadian homes have broadband access. Canadians are one of the most Internet savy citizens in the world. We will use the Internet as our starting point and continue to build. We have been attacked for looking for leadership and a new vision! Infighting has been a hallmark of those tired old gun groups. As soon as we started talking about a new vision for gun owners, some in those tired old groups immediately stopped their fight against the Liberals to attack us. We expected this. Honestly, we encouraged some of those attacks. Why? We knew millions of gun owners across Canada are tired of the status quo in the current groups. We knew they would attack us, and we knew you would see it just like we do. Their attacks represent all those groups have left in their arsenal. Take a read of our planning document. What we are proposing is a broadening of the leadership base for Canada's hunting and shooting community. Our vision is one, we believe you can look at and support. If you have ideas or comments tell us! We are listening to your ideas and views. We would like to wish all of you, and through you, your families all the best for a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a joyous 2006. If we all work together, we can see the defeat of the Liberals, and a start on fixing Canada's gun laws. TEAM CHSA

Election tide is shifting Bye-bye Paul? December 21, There is a very definite shift in election coverage. Conservative leader Stephen Harper was on the front pages of Quebec newspapers yesterday. Quebec Premier, Liberal Jean Charest has all but endorsed the Conservatives. In startling news, CTV Television says the upswing in the polls could be putting Prime Minister Paul Martin's seat at risk. The Toronto Star, a Liberal newspaper is writing about the post-election Liberal leadership race after Martin fails in this campaign. The Globe and Mail is reporting the Liberals are laying off election staff between Christmas and New Years. The Liberals are short of money. It is more important right now for all hunters and shooters to invest time and energy into their local Conservative party candidate. Your efforts between now and voting day will make a serious impact on the future of Canada. Save defeatist talk and campaigns against provincial premiers until after the election. Right now, work to win! December 20, Just in! In the CSSA/CILA class-action lawsuit, the judge has dismissed the action. The judge decided CSSA/CILA had waited too long to bring the action forward to the courts. For people with 12-6 guns affected by this ruling, those gunowners have to proceed individually in their provincial courts.

Did Paul Martin and the Liberals manufacture a fake anti-American spat as an election ploy? Read Stephen Taylor's careful de-construction of the Liberal TV ads. Liberal riding official resigns Open mouth, insert foot? Liberal screw-up! CHSA comment: This is not a victory of special note. It is a win, but the real victory will come from your hard work, leading to a Conservative victory on January 23 2006. Some will figure all their efforts writing letters to Mr. Betito have made a serious impact. Serious impact is made by volunteering in the campaign of your local candidates. What are you waiting for? OAKVILLE, Ont. (CP) - The president of the Oakville Liberal riding association has resigned after telling a voter unhappy with gun control to take her "gun loving ass back to the U.S." Elie Betito's response to a voter about Liberal handgun policy was disturbing and highly inappropriate, said Lindsay Williams, the Liberal campaign director in the riding. Williams said Liberal incumbent Bonnie Brown was "disturbed by the terrible way it was handled." At issue was an e-mail exchange initiated by Stacey Cherwonak, who identified herself as a sport shooter and wrote to Brown's campaign to take issue with Prime Minister Paul Martin's proposal to ban handgun ownership as a crime-fighting measure. "In addition to the millions (if not billions) of dollars that your party has stolen from Canadians since 1993, Paul Martin's speech today makes it clear that your party's word isn't worth the breath it's spoken with," wrote Cherwonak. "After work today, I signed up as a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, along with a $100 donation." She concluded with an observation that she was "sick to death of you lying bastards." In his response on Dec. 9, Betito told Cherwonak to "take your NRA gun loving ass back to the U.S. where you belong." Brown's spokeswoman said Cherwonak was not a constituent and noted that she had used profanity in her original message. But she said that didn't excuse Betito's response. Williams said Betito had been riding association president for about two years. "He is sorry for what he did, and realizes that the profanity in the original e-mail got the better of him emotionally." Betito could not be reached for comment.

December 19, Election Harper's to lose "The difference between the Liberals and the Conservatives is slowly disappearing as Canadians are beginning to see a strong leader in Stephen Harper, members of a public policy panel said last week." "We're seeing the emergence of a pragmatic leader," said Andrew Cohen, a journalism professor at Carleton University. "He has bad turtlenecks that don't match his suits, but he's moving toward the centre and he's resonating with Canadians." The Liberals are going to become angry and desperate. Watch for Liberal attack ads to start as soon as Canadians start waking up from their Christmas break. It is more important now, for hunters and shooters to be intelligent. The Liberals see their handgun ban as a key wedge issue in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The Liberals are looking at the large numbers of seats in those areas. Expect their attacks to intensify. Expect the Liberals to try and draw out the tired faces and voices of the old gun 'lobby' groups. Liberal strategists tried to make Stephen Harper come out guns blazing over their handgun ban. Harper was too intelligent to fall into their trap. If the Liberals can draw gun group spokesmen out presenting their anger as representative of the Conservative party, it would be just as effective. The Liberals expect gun groups will help them attack the Conservatives in these key seat rich areas. Liberal strategists count on it!

December 17, Live Chat! The CHSA now offers a free live chat-room. This is a first. No other Canadian gun rights group has offered a free chat-room before. Why not? During the federal election, use our chat-room to meet, and plan strategy. We are planning scheduled chats in the new year to discuss the continued building of a professional hunting and shooting association for Canada. Never be afraid to try something new! Remember, an amateur built the ark, professionals built the Titanic!

December 16, A tool for activists, DDMv2 allows you to send letters to the editor, or to MPs, or Senators. DDMv2 was designed to maximize your ability to send email messages when it matters. Do letters make a difference? Absolutely! The CHSA suggests a letter-writing-tree. Most newspapers will only accept one letter a month from the same writer. If you wrote a newspaper a letter every day your chances of being published would likely be reduced. What is a letter-writing-tree? You gather together people who are not great letter writers and you give them your letters to submit under their name. If you had thirty people working with you, and used DDMv2, you would multiply your success rate by thirty-fold. The CHSA suggest you offer your name, or your letter writing skills via online forums, discussion groups and the CHSA Forum. Like CHSA has promised, 21st century ideas! Protect your gun rights. The CHSA calls on all gun owners who do not currently own a handgun to purchase one. This will accomplish two goals. First it will give you potential grandfathered status to own handguns if the worst happens and the Liberals win the election. Second, it supports the gun dealers who are really on the front line of any potential handgun ban. Third, this will send a message, via the Canadian Firearms Centre to the Liberals that gun owners are sticking to their guns.

"OFF TARGET" First published in the Globe and Mail Read this article carefully. It explains the political roots of the Liberal gun control program. One of the political aims of the Liberals was "because it would goad people who knew something about guns and policy to public outrage." Ask yourself if the gun lobby has played into the Liberal's plans? "It is now widely understood that the government's gun control policy is a fiscal and administrative debacle. Its costs have reached levels that rival core services like national defence and health, and it doesn't work. What is not so widely understood is that the policy was never designed to control guns. It was designed to control Kim Campbell." "When Campbell was enjoying her brief season of success in her bid for re-election in the Summer campaign of 1993, Mr. Chretien was kept busy reassuring what he called the "Nervous Nellies" in his caucus. Campbell's star, he promised, would soon fall. One of the key elements of the Liberal plan to bring her down was a scheme to discredit her most considerable accomplishment as Minister of Justice, which was a tremendously ambitious package of gun control measures." "Those measures - enacted in the wake of the Montreal Massacre - included new requirements for the training and certification of target shooters and hunters, new laws requiring the safe storage of firearms and ammunition - which essentially brought every gun in the country under lock and key, new and stringent measures for the screening of applicants for firearms licenses, new measures to ensure that courts actively sought out information about firearms in cases of spousal assault, and a wide range of prohibitions of firearms that had no legitimate place in Canada's "field and stream" tradition of firearms use." finish reading article.. Are you are asking yourself how apparently smart people fell into the carefully set Liberal trap? Some reasons are obvious. The Liberals watched gun owners reaction to Kim Campbell's gun laws. The Liberals polled extensively and uncovered how the gun issue played with urban voters. The Liberals realised gun owners were unlikely to listen to political experts and consult polling companies. They saw there was not a great deal of political experience in the gun groups which formed to protest Kim Campbell's law. Gun lobby groups, so angered by an infringement on their lives, like many gun owners simply reacted. For the most part, no research into what brought the law forward was completed. Many gun owners were still angry at Kim Campbell and her gun law. That anger quickly shifted over to Alan Rock, Jean Chretien and the Liberals. The Liberals still count on gun lobby groups anger. The Liberals have done their research on this issue. Their internal polls tell them the angry reaction of gun owners generates votes in the areas of Canada where most of the seats are located. Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are where the Liberals are looking for seats. Jean Chretien won three Liberal majority governments. The Liberals faced a divided opposition. Much of that division may have been helped by the Liberals counting on rural gun owners. Yesterday, Dave Tomlinson of NFA wrote Thomas Micholsen of CHSA expressing how the NFA's target is not the women in vote rich Ontario. The Liberals fully understand the power of women in politics. The Liberal polling on the handgun ban is being discussed by political experts as targeted to women voters in urban areas. The Liberals count on gun owners reacting in outrage. The Liberals know gun owners reaction will solidify the support of women in Toronto. The Liberals understand, where NFA does not, women and their voting patterns. Contrast the Conservative Party response to Paul Martin's announcement to the gun lobby reaction. The Conservatives quietly and calmly explained how this ban won't work. The Conservatives did not react like the Liberals hoped. Fortunately for the Liberals, the gun lobby did. You are probably shaking your head right now, assuming NFA and CSSA have learned from mistakes made in the past. Take a look. NFA Read the article on their webpage. CSSA Read the CSSA press release Repeatedly playing directly into the hands of the Liberals is a blueprint for disaster. To reverse this pattern of losing will take a grassroots effort. How to start winning! It is not too late. Winning means work. Winning requires professional research. Wild claims made without back up damage all hunters and shooters credibility. Trained professional technical writers are a critical requirement. When our side states our position, or publishes a statement or article, all our claims must be backed up by the facts and statistics. Right now, many in the media will cover the gun issue and report our statements and claims. To often poorly researched claims are made by some of the spokespersons on our side. Those spokespersons do not understand those claims are gathered by our opponents. False claims are then used to make our side look foolish. This may not happen in the media, it will happen in closed door meetings with bureaucrats and politicians. Meetings held with the anti-gun groups. Sadly, there are reams of paper in Ottawa outlining poorly researched claims made by some on our side.

Real research

In July 2003, Professor Gary Mauser wrote "As surprising as it may seem, a few supporters of the gun registry claim that firearm registration has somehow caused Canadian gun deaths to decrease. This is quite surprising because gun deaths began to decline in the early 1990s, yet the gun registry wasn't even started until 1997, and many gun owners still haven't registered their guns. Despite its billion-dollar cost overrun, supporters of the gun registry argue that the registry will bring down gun deaths."

"This is shockingly irresponsible. Sheila Fraser, the auditor-general, reported that the registry had astronomical cost overruns. Despite this enormous expenditure, its high error rate renders it all but useless as a tool for the RCMP."

Click on the graphic and read Adobe Acrobat complete two-page article.

B.C. hunting lost

December 13, As a reminder of how important it is for hunters and shooters to start working together in a truely national association. Hunters suffered a loss today.

Hunting access lost. "Late in November, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation paid $1.35 million to acquire the guide-outfitting rights to five contiguous hunting regions along the central B.C. coast."

This move by the Rainforest Conservation Foundation demonstrates what happens when we do not have active groups working together to protect and preserve our hunting and shooting.

The real issue here, is not as a few short sighted leaders in the hunting community seem to suggest, restrictions of outfitting.

Anti-hunting groups have set a precident. They have raised $1.35 million dollars from their members to remove land access. The move will be copied across Canada. Hunters and fishermen in the future are likely to see anti-hunting groups expanding this practice.

This is the real threat here.

There are several areas outlined in our Planning Document. That is however, only a planning document. It is up to each hunter and shooter to read it, and offer suggestions and critisism of the plan. Only by doing a complete deconstruction of the idea, and making sure our plans are solid, can we all ensure we are starting from a foundation of integrity.

We invite you to read the Planning Document and offer your comments and suggestions on our forum. The planning and discussion can be done completely in the open.

There will be some people who will suggest to plan the creation and the foundation of the Canadian Hunting and Shooting Association in a completely open manner will tell the Liberals exactly what we are doing.

It will! The days of closed door organizations which only tell their members of their plans once they are launched must end.

The status quo of rewarding failure must end and there must be a change in our strategy and tactics. We have seen ten lost years of failure, and that is ten years too many.

Promoting Hunting and Shooting

Take a look at these television ads.

• Action Shooting!
• Deer Hunting!
• Sporting Clays!

Imagine if television ads like these were to run on Canadian televisions!

Hunting and shooting sports in Canada have been marginalized by the Liberals. Part of the problem has been a lack of enthusiasm and leadership from old line associations. It is time for a 'Fresh Start' for all Canadian hunters and shooters.

Advertising the shooting sports is not impossible. Click on the links. Each link is a professionally created and designed television ad. They are offered for use free of charge, by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

These ads only require a sponsor to buy the air time to run them.

Local clubs could run these ads. They could promote hunting and shooting sports. Could your club help make hunting and shooting increasingly relevant in Canada.

Things which are relevant matter!

The Canadian Hunting and Shooting Association suggests clubs and associations interested in promoting hunting and shooting look seriously at the concept of sponsoring ads like this in their area.

We must stop paying mere lip service to the future of sport shooting.

Our future is with our young people. A coordinated program to train youth, especially inner city young people in outdoor skills must be started.

Call to Action

December 11, If you are reading this message, our hope is you care about hunting and shooting and outdoor activities in Canada.

Right now, it is vital that you take action to protect those activities. As many of you have heard, or said 'Gun Registration means Gun Confiscation'. Canadian gun owners face further restrictions from the Liberals. Paul Martin has announced a Liberal government will ban handguns.

While many hunters, and some shooters may not own handguns, what we must all understand is that an attack on one area of hunting and shooting is an attack on us all.

To protect hunting and shooting activities, the CHSA asks you to get directly involved in the most effective way possible.

Volunteer in the campaign of your local Conservative candidate

Some other associations are planning media campaigns, and rallies. This may sound like a super idea. The CHSA suggests that there is just not enough time. A well planned campaign that takes resources and manpower away from the local campaigns is to offer a gift to the Liberals.

Rather than blow smoke up your collective butts like some groups have done for the past ten years, it is time for direct action.

The CHSA advocates direct action in local political campaigns. This is the most effective effort each of you can do.

How to be start? Conservative Party to get contact information for your local Conservative candidate.